Car door



y 1945- F. H. ROGERS 2,375,327

OAR DOOR Filed Aug. so, 1943 2 Sheets-Shet 1 jfiazz/ogars F. H. ROGERS May 8, 1945.

CAR DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 50, 1945 Patented May 8, 1945 asvaszr (i AR noon I Frank H. Rogers, Estancia, N. Mex. 7' Application August so, 1943; Serial-No. 500,569

UNITED "STATES T ;fjfl

Claims.

This invention relates to car doors and particularly has relation to a sliding door of a type used in connection with a box car wherein the lower portion of the door is provided with a freely mounted wheeled member. for facilitating the shifting of the door from one position to another, and it is primarily an object of the invention to provide means whereby this wheeled member, when the door is in desired shifted position, is automatically raised and maintained in an inoperative position or free of contact with the trackway with which said wheeled member coacts and which furthermore assures the, door having desired flat contact with the lower track way.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved car door whereby certain important advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fullyset forth. v l may be better un In order that my invention derstood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation illustrating a door constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the details of construction.

. Figure 3 isaan enlarged sectional view'taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantiallyon the line 44' of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the spring trated in Figure 1, W denotes the side wall of a box car or the like having the usual door opening I with which is associated a sliding door D. Extending along the wall W immediately adjacent the lower end of the door opening I is .a track T herein disclosed as having its upper or top face fiat. This track T may be held in applied position in any manner preferred, it only being required that the upper portion of the track. be. slightly spaced, as illustrated in Figure 3, from includes the horizontally disposed or bottom plate 2 positioned a desired distance inwardly of the 'lower edges of the walls 3 of the door 'D and which is adapted to have direct flat contact with the top 6'of the track-T so that the door D under its own weight may be effectively held against sliding movement. b

' At predetermined points spaced therealong this plate 2 'is provided with the longitudinally disposed slots 4 herein disclosed as two in number 7 and through each of which is adapted to be disposed a roller 5. This roller 5 is rotatably carried by an elongated rigid member B'of any dc sired structure or material which is freely pow sitioned between the lower portions of the'walls- 3 of the door; I

Disposed through .the lower portion of the door D at substantially its longitudinal center and at a desired point above the applied member G is a shaft l whichextends exteriorly of the door and said exterior or extended portion carries an operating member or handle 8. The shaft I be tween the walls 3 of the door D carries anoutstanding cam member 9 which, upon swinging movement of the shaft 1 in one direction, forces the member 6 downwardly and the rollers 5 into contact with the track T. through the openings and with a resultant raising of the door D so I that it can bereadily shifted as desired.

After the door' D has beerrmoved to desired, position, the shaft ,1 is rocked in a.direction'to raisethe cam lwith respect to the member 6,

whereupon the member 6 is automatically lifted or raised to free the rollers 5 from contact with the track T to assure the plate 2 having effective flat contact with the track T to maintainthe door Dagainst sliding movement. This raising of the, member 6 also prevents the flattening of the rollers 5 which would occur as the result of the shocks and jars incident to travel should such rollers 5 during suchtravel be allowed to have contact with the track T.

As illustrated; the means fOr automatically raising the member 6 comprises an elongated flat spring l0 having its central portion anchored; as at I I, to the central portion of the member 6. This spring I0 is above the member 6 and suboperated.

stantially centrally of the rollers 5 and weestremities of the spring freely contact from intersecting the walls 3 of the door. D. v I In the embodiment of the. invention as illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 ofthe drawings, the

. sliding door S is provided witha bottom plate It for coaction with thebottom track B in the same ,manner as set forth with respect to the bottom platel. -Within the lower portion of the door S v is fthe 'rigid member .'l'5..carrying the rollers [6w for contact from above withthe track B.

\ above with the pins l2 or the like secured to and. I

ing a loose connection between each end of the spring and the door body whereby the member and rollers are suspended spaced from the track,

and means carried by the doorfor forcing the member downwardly to bring said rollers into Th central portion of this member l has;

secured tothe top face thereof the flatspring ll. This spring 11 has its central portion anchored,

as at I8, to the member l5 and the extremities 9 thereof freely contact from above the cross pins l9fsecured to and intersecting the side walls of the door 5. Within the lower portion of the 7 door S and above the member l-5 andspring llf is arock shaftil". r v 1 This rock shaft- 2| extends lengthwise-"of the door Sandhas' one end portion extending beyond the inner 'end'of the door and said extended por tion carries an upstanding operating'lever 22 for;

.rocking the shaft to bring into contact from above with the member l5 the cam" arms 23"to eifect-the desired raising of the door S 'for shift ing-movement along the track B; v

* i-,In the form of the invention as illustrated in: Figure 9,--there is disclosed the use ofa double? y vcam 24 which is fixed for rocking movement with 4 theshaft 25 which is mounted and operated-in the same-manner as hereinbefore set forth withrespect to' the shaft 1 as comprised in the first T form ofthe invention; By the useof the-double;

cam, the desired movementz'of the rigid member? working engagement with the track, said springv being-flexed and placed under tension' when the memberis forced downwardly.

v 2. 'A structure as set forth in claim 1, in which (the last means comprises a pivoted cam supported upon the door for contacting the top of thespring to flex the spring and force themem .ber downwardly, when oscillated. Y. 3. 'A door structure'as set forth in claim 1, in

which the last means comprises 2;. shaft supmember to force the member and rollers down wardly against the resistanceof the spring when the'shaftis rocked in one direction.

. 4. A door structure asset forthin claim 1, in

which thelooseconnection forming means between the ends of the spring and the door come prises a guide eye formed at eachend of the 26-15 effected to bring the'rollers (notshownl of the -member' -26 intoproper engagement with thetrack upon throwing of the operating lever 2l--in either direction. The extent of swinging? movement of. the lever 21' in either of such directions. is limited by the suitably positionedstop lugs "carried by the car door 'C.

V cordanc'ewith my invention is .particularly'well adapted for use by reason or theconvenience spring an'da pin carried'by' the door and ing transversely through each eye.

' 5. A sliding door structure comprising a door:

bodylmounted to have movement longitudinally of a track and to have up and down movement with respect thereto, a bottom plate carriedby the door for contact with the track tohold the door against shifting movement along the track,

theportion of the door above said bottom plate being hollow, astraight rigid bar member disposed for free movement within the door above the bottom plate, said bot 'tom plate being pro- ,yi ed withopenings'rollers carried by' said 'mem-.

berto extend out through' the openings in the bottom lateof thedoor for contact with the From the foregoing descriptionit is-thought;v to.v be obvious that acardoor constructed-in a'c1- track, means for exerting pressure on the memher for bringingthe-rollersintocontact with the body mounted to have movementlongitudinally w of aitrack and" to have 'up and down'movement with-respect to the track, an elongated member extending lengthwise" of and'disposed adjacent to the bottom edge of'the door, rollers carried;

by. said member for contact with the traclg'fan j elongated flat spring disposed over and longitu'di- 1 nallyof said member, said spring being secured f track to'raisethe door, means independent of: said pressure'exerting means for automatically maintaining said membergina raised position when the. last named means" isinoperativesaid v member when inits. raised positionholding the wheelsfree of contact with'thetrack, said means for raising the member comprising'a flat'spring,

means anchoring the central portion of the spring to the member, the spring being formed at each end to provide a'guide extending in'a direction lengthwise thereof, and elements carried by the door and each freelyf'en'gagedfin one of said guidesf' I i FRA K R GER extend-j 

